In modern computer systems, storage devices are used to store data and program instructions. Examples of storage devices include integrated circuit (IC) storage devices (such as dynamic or static random access memories, flash memories, and electrically erasable and programmable read-only memories), hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, optical drives, and other types of storage devices.
With advances in technology and manufacturing efficiency, the cost per bit of storage has been reduced dramatically. Storage devices of relatively large capacities (e.g., tens of gigabytes) are widely available to consumers at relatively low prices. As a result, large capacity storage devices can be included in many types of systems, including computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cameras, music players, and so forth. The presence of a large capacity storage device in a system means that a large number of files can be stored. For example, if the system is a camera, large numbers of images or video clips can be captured and stored. If the system is a music player, then a large number of song files can be loaded into the player by a user. Computers and PDAs can also store a large number of user files.
As the number of storage files increase, finding a particular file stored in a storage device can become more difficult. A user can manually organize stored files by creating directories to store different types of the files. However, such manual organization by a user is time consuming and often inconsistent since a user may move files to incorrect directories or the user may simply forget to classify newly received files.